he tea party effort to torpedo health care reform at the
federal level has been repelled, but only after the campaign
shut down the government, threatened default on the U.S. debt and
cost the country billions in damages. But that victory should not blind
us to how destructive the rejectionists have been at the state level. In
the name of states rights, right-wing
governors and legislators will leave
some 8 million impoverished and
low-wage Americans uninsured
and ineligible for any assistance.
The reason is that the Su-

preme Court’s conservative majority resuscitated the pernicious doctrine of “states’ rights.” When they
found Obamacare constitutional,
the majority ruled that states had
a “right” to refuse to expand Medicaid. Medicaid expansion was designed to cover the poorest half of
those now without health insurance.
Under the Affordable Care
Act, Medicaid would be expanded
to cover those with incomes at or
below 138 percent of the federal
poverty level (now $19,530 for a
family of three). The federal government would pay the full cost
until 2016, when states would be
asked to pick up only 10 percent of
the cost of expansion.
Led by Republican governors and legislators, 26 states,
including every state in the deep
South outside of Arkansas, have
thus far refused to support expansion of Medicaid, turning their
backs on literally billions in fed-

PG 4 OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2013

eral subsidies to cover health care
costs for the uninsured (although
recently Republican governors in
Ohio and Pennsylvania ended their
opposition).
This is the modern version
of George Wallace standing in the
schoolhouse door to reject integration. The states rejecting Medicaid
expansion have about one-half the
nation’s population, but over two
thirds of the uninsured poor who’d
be eligible under the law. The leading targets are people of color. Two
thirds of otherwise eligible and uninsured poor African-Americans
will be barred from getting affordable health care.
Once more, we see the
harsh reality behind “states’ rights.”
From the Civil War to the civil
rights movement, from slavery to
segregation, the argument of states’
rights has been unfurled as the banner of those looking to punish black
people. And once more right-wing
leaders are acting against the best
interests of their own people and
their own states to keep people of
color locked out. They would allow
poor whites to suffer rather than allow the black poor to benefit. These
governors are not standing up for
the Constitution. They’re playing
the race bait politics of division
once more.
And, not surprisingly, this
reversion to states’ rights is accompanied by systematic state efforts to suppress the vote. Many
of the same governors who’ve led
the fight against health care reform
are pushing measures that make it
harder for poor and working people
-- disproportionately people of color -- to vote. They’ve reduced early
voting, ended voting on Sundays,
added new ID requirements, closed
down convenient polling booths,
opposed same day registration and
more. The only way to keep people
down is to lock them out.
Republican governors, of

WWW.STYLEMAGAZINE.COM

course, don’t admit the racial poison at the root of their policies.
They say their states can’t afford
the expansion (even though the federal government picks up the entire
tab until 2016 and 90 percent thereafter). They rail against health care
reform as “socialism,” even though
every industrial nation in the world
except the U.S. provides affordable
health care to its citizens.
Gov. Rick Perry of Texas
says the Affordable Care Act would
reduce Texas to a mere “appendage
of federal government.” (Perry apparently doesn’t understand that
Texas is a part of the union.)
Historically, there has only
been one remedy against the use of
states’ right to inflict racially poisonous policies, and that has been
forceful federal intervention. It
took a Civil War and constitutional
amendments to end slavery. It took
a civil rights movement and federal
legislation to end apartheid in the
South. And now poor and working
people will need to rise up once
more and insist that the federal government step in to make certain that
all American have access to affordable health care, no matter what the
color of their skin, the amount of
their income or the state they live
in.
The Democratic governors
who stood in the schoolhouse door
against integration -- George Wallace, Orval Faubus, Ross Barnett -are remembered in infamy. Now the
Republican governors who stand
in the hospital door --Rick Scott of
Florida, Rick Perry of Texas, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana -- will surely
end up in the same hall of shame.
You can write to the Rev.
Jesse Jackson in care of this newspaper or by email at jjackson@rainbowpush.org. Follow him on Twitter @RevJJackson.
Share this story online at
www.stylemagazine.com.

Lights” during a seven-inning softball
game. A home run derby will precede
the game. Tickets for the event will go on
sale January 2014. An exact date will be
announced later as to when tickets will
be available at both the Constellation
Field box office and online www.sugar-

A

landskeeters.com

Audi RS5

ment over photograph that was published
on his website Thisis50.com. Jennifer
Stetson has said that notification was
sent informing of the illegal use of the
photo that she titled “Claudia” sometime
in September. In the lawsuit, it is noted
that Stetson has had the photo officially
registered since July 2012. Since the lawsuit was just filed late this month we will
have to wait to see how this all turns out.

uto dealers will start to examine the way they let potential
customers test drive vehicles

after an Audi coupe was stolen from a loJ.J. Watt of the Houston Texans

lowed the salesman to the office to talk

J

numbers. When the salesman turned his

Charity Classic. The event will be held

back to speak with upper management.

the evening of Friday, May 2, 2014, at

The man swiped the keys to the $80,000

Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas,

Audi and took off. The Audi West Hous-

a suburb of Houston, Texas. Defensive

cal dealership. A man in his 30s took a
gray 2014 Audi RS5 for a spin on Oct. 17
at 11:30am. Appearing to be very interested in purchasing the car, the man fol-

.J. Watt, defensive end for the
Houston Texans and NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is pleased to

announce the date for the 2014 J.J. Watt

WWW.STYLEMAGAZINE.COM

Rapper 50 Cent Sued for Copyright
Infringement by Houstonian

A

local woman is suing famed
rapper 50 Cent aka Curtis Jack-

“Claudia” by Jennifer Stetson

son over copyright infringe-

OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2013

PG 5

Health

By Adolfo Chavez
Special to Style

Be the Match for Dezma’s Legacy

A

s I write this, it has been 7
months and one day since
my niece, Dezma Benitez,
passed away after her battle with Leukemia. Impossibly, it seems as if it
happened just yesterday and as if an
eternity has passed at the same time.
The grief is present and real. Yet, when
I try to remember the long journey of
her treatment the memories are fuzzy
as if I had just woken from a terrible
dream. The guilt of not being able to
recall every moment is unbearable because I want so desperately to remember every detail of her so that I don’t
forget who she was.
But the sum of her time battling this disease was not who she was.
Dezma was 10 years into a full
life. She was a softball player, like her
mother. She was a fantastic artist. She
was brilliant and deep and thoughtful.
At the memorial service, I looked into
the eyes of an ocean of faces that had
the imprint of Dezma’s life; an intri-

cate web that bound family, friends and
strangers. There I witnessed the sum of
Demza’s life and the depths to which it
reached.
It was these same people who,
once Dezma was diagnosed, were
spurred to action. Blood drives and
benefits were organized. Donations
were made. Dezma’s story spread.
Team Dezma was born.
Seven months later, Team

Dezma thrives and continues to fight
for cures and better treatments for
leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin‚ Äôs
disease and myeloma. Through the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s
Team in Training program Dezma’s
mother, Lynda Flores, is working
furiously to raise $100,000 dollars
in order to have a research program
created in Dezma’s name. They have
raised nearly $57,000 to date and can
use your support to help them reach
Team Dezma’s goal.
To read more about Dezma’s journey and contribute to Team
Dezma, use the following link: bit.
ly/teamdezma. There is a myriad of
other ways you can be a part of Team
Dezma at https://www.facebook.com/
lyndaiflores
Dezma’s family was given
the gift of more time because of another gift of bone marrow donation
through Be the Match Donor Regis-

tery. For the thousands of people diagnosed every year with life-threatening
blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, a cure exists. Over the past 25
years Be The Match®, operated by the
National Marrow Donor Program®
(NMDP), has managed the largest and
most diverse marrow registry in the
world. They work every day to save
lives through transplant. Find out more
information online at www. marrow.org.

ne of the first questions you ask
when visiting a city is “Where
is a good place to eat?” Washington, D.C. is most known for its history and political power players, but
D.C. is also known for great cuisine. If
you want a good chili dog in Washington, D.C., you think historical landmark
Ben’s Chili Bowl. However, if you want
to experience fine dining that provides
a fresh and unique spin on American
cuisine like no other, I highly recommend Founding Farmers on 1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Founding Farmers
has mastered providing customers with
amazing comfort food in a four star environment that doesn’t have a pretentious
feel. Thanks to Sarah Maciejewski with
Destination DC, Houston Style Magazine received an amazing experience at
one of the most talked about restaurants
in Washington, D.C. After a long day of
covering the Congressional Black Caucus, there was no better way for Houston
Style Magazine to wind down than with
great cocktails, great food and great service at Founding Farmers. The Founding Farmers management team and staff
rolled out the red carpet and made the
Houston Style Magazine family feel like
D.C. royalty.
Although the outside of Found-

Fresh Spin on American Cuisine

ing Farmers has a definite curb appeal,
you really don’t get the full exceptional
character and ambience of this establishment until you set foot through the glass
doors. When we first walked in we received a warm greeting by the hostess
and then we were escorted to our special
reserved table by a Founding Farmers
staff member. The Founding Farmers
hospitality continued with our waitress Kaitlyn. She immediately greeted
us with a genuinely warm smile. Her
knowledge about the acclaimed menu
was impressive. None of our questions
were unanswered and her recommendations did not disappoint.
We started off our Founding Farmers experience with signature
cocktails from the Farmers Favorite
Cocktails & Bar Menu. After sipping
on the Organic Cucumber Delight and
The Constitution it was no wonder why
Jon Arroyo is their award winning Chief
Mixologist & Beverage Director. These
were not your average cocktails and
it was nothing but pure genius behind
these quenching creations.
Founding Farmers Executive
Chef Joe Goetze is the master mind behind their palate pleasing culinary creations and we could not have our cocktails without their delectable appetizers.

PG 6 OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2013

Kaitlyn recommended the deviled eggs
and fried green tomatoes and they definitely went hand in hand and complemented our cocktails superbly. If you
are a fan of deviled eggs, then you will
love Founding Farmers’ deviled egg
appetizer. These are not your mom’s
deviled eggs. Founding Farmers takes
this American classic and turns it up
a notch with Maine Lobster and the
freshest crab and salmon. Fried green
tomatoes are a southern staple you
don’t usually see on the East Coast, but
Founding Farmers made me feel like I
was back at home with this cornmeal
battered delight accompanied with
their amazing sauces.
Our main attraction was the
Founding Farmers grilled center cut 8
oz. filet that was cooked to perfection.
The double-whipped red bliss potatoes
and fresh green beans with candied
lemon were welcome additions to the
filet. The beignets were the grand finale. You better think twice if you think
New Orleans is the only place you can
get appetizing beignets. This French
inspired dessert that came with a raspberry coulis, a semi-sweet chocolate
sauce and caramel sauce was a consummate ending to a delish meal.
Washington, D.C. Founding

WWW.STYLEMAGAZINE.COM

Farmers’ Keith, Riva and other staff made
our experience memorable. Not only
was the food stellar, but the service was
as well. Next time you go to Washington
D.C. after you visit the White House, take
a trip down to Pennsylvania Ave. NW and
enjoy a fresh spin on American cuisine at
Founding Farmers.
For more information about
Founding Farmers visit www.wearefoundingfarmers.com or visit them on Twitter at
@Foundingfarmers. Visit Destination DC
at www.washington.org or find them on
Twitter at @Washingtondc

WWW.STYLEMAGAZINE.COM

OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2013

PG 7

Travel Discover Atlanta Where Everyone Leaves
By Rebecca Briscoe

National Entertainment Writer

I

couldn’t wait to “discover” Atlanta
as my final travel destination from
the Bayou City. As many of you
know, Atlanta is one of the most cultural
cities in the South that relishes on its
distinct Southern hospitality and charm.
Most attribute the city to the great nightlife and celebrity sightings, but this city
has just as much to offer to historians,
foodies, and above all tourists. A nonstop flight from Houston got me to the
Peach City in less than two hours. This
fall trip proved to be sunny skies, warm
weather, and the serene atmosphere I so
desperately needed.
Riding the MARTA was heaven
sent. A two- dollar ride got me from the
airport to the Omni at CNN Center in
less than fifteen minutes. It was unbelievable how easy it was to navigate, and
how quickly you were routed to your final destination.
Walking in the Omni at CNN
Center was an experience. The hotel
architecture and attention to detail was
simply spectacular. This Four Diamond
hotel nestled into the heart of downtown
Atlanta was a marvel both inside and
out. The highly attentive staff, valet, and
concierge exceeded my expectations be-

with Georgia on Their Mind

fore I checked in. I would have to say
that I felt presidential staying next to the
CNN World headquarters; where real
news happens 24 hours a day. As I entered my room from a long day of hustle
and bustle, I relished in the beautiful
view of the downtown skyline, Centennial Olympic Park, and the CNN Atrium.
Once I settled in, I enjoyed the spoils of
champagne and chocolate truffles by my
bed, and a pillow top mattress that called
my name before I reached my slumber.
With the Omni at CNN Center
being a short walk away from Phillips
Arena, Georgia World Congress Center,
The Georgia Dome, and tourist attractions like the Georgia Aquarium and
Centennial Park could anyone ask for
more?
Tourist Attractions
CNN Studio Tour: If you want
to know everything news, and what
makes something newsworthy you have
to take the CNN Studio Tour. This highly
interactive fifty minute tour gives you
the behind the scene action of the Control Room Theater, Special Effects Studio, and Interactive News Desk Section.
World of Coca-Cola At the
World of Coca-Cola, I saw original ar-

PG 8 OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2013

tifacts, and witnessed the most recognized beverage in the world come to life.
I thoroughly enjoyed the vault session,
and the international tasting where my
favorite was the South African beverage that had the right amount of fizz and
flavor for the pineapple/coconut concoction.
Restaurants
Bone Lick BBQ: Dining on a
budget is always great for the budding
traveler. You can dine for two at Bone
Lick BBQ for fewer than $25.00, which
include: an entree, two sides, and a drink.
The brisket was succulent, seasoned, and
so tender. Who ever thought you could
mix jalapeno with a signature staple to
create jalapeño macaroni and cheese?
The jalapeño macaroni and cheese was
to die for, and their homemade BBQ
sauces made me lick my fingers; literally.
STK I immediately thought
I was in Vegas from ultra chic lounge
and beautiful dishes. The feel of STK is
sleek, sexy, and refined. As we dined,
the restaurant transformed to theatrical
lights illuminated with a haute deejay
boosting a fun and energetic, night–out
vibe. Is this a steak lover’s paradise or

WWW.STYLEMAGAZINE.COM

what!! The food was opulent, and the
dining experience was unlike I could
ever imagine. Appetizers consisted of
lump crab, jumbo shrimp, and other seafood spoils that made my mouth water.
Unlike my guest, I doted on the lobster
instead of the steak. It was more than I
could have ever imagined.
When you want to “discover”
Atlanta, let the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau be your official tour guide.
Whatever floats your boat, I can reassure
you that they will tailor an itinerary to
fit your needs, and tantalize your taste
buds. For more information: www.atlanta.net @discoveratlanta

Feature

By Jo-Carolyn Goode
Editor-At-Large

Houston Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce Making a Better Houston
And with the voices of these influen- form. “Comprehensive immigration
tial women decisions are being made reform is of the upmost importance.”
as it relates to women’s spending Dr. Murillo continued, “And for the
habits and what is going on within the

economy to continue to find ways to

family. Making it easier for corporate support entrepreneurs and their exsponsors to communicate with this periences is critically important and
particular audience. “With everything thirdly, healthcare reform, which
we do is a conscience effort to make would impact many small businesssure that women are represented in es and corporations.” Utilizing the
what has traditionally been a male chamber’s many resources, events are
dominate area but also that we are

held to mobilize the membership and

represented on different boards and others to be active participants and
commissions throughout the city not not bystanders in resolving different
just the Hispanic Chamber of Com- issues. It is Dr. Murillo’s thought that
merce Board. That we open doors if people can come together to have

J

Dr. Laura Murillo

and open opportunities for our com-

an educated discussion about these

munity to have a voice.”

issues of importance that solutions

From giving women a voice could be formed. “The job of the

ust a quick Google search will

directors. “Houston is a reality of

to securing the success of the next

chamber is to really be a convener, to

show the power player that the

changing demographics and fortu-

generation, with what Dr. Murillo

help people understand the issues, to

Houston Hispanic Chamber of

nately we are in a region and a city

calls her most important work, the

gather information and help people

Commerce (HHCC) is at the bargain-

that embraces diversity. Our chamber

chamber’s Emerging Young Leaders understand what can be a complex is-

ing table of business in Houston and

has really taken advantage of that op-

Institute teaches young people under sue so that Houston and the country

abroad. At the helm of this organiza-

portunity by integrating many ideas

forty years of age with less than eight

continues to thrive.”

tion for the past six years has been one

and cultures and really finding a way

years of work experience or who are

woman, Dr. Laura Murillo. Although

to work together,” said Dr. Murillo,

juniors or seniors in college the ways

way that the community can contin-

this savvy business lady solely holds

who remarked that diversity is why

of the business world. “We have ue to support the HHCC. A group of

the title of President and Chief Ex-

Houston as a city is so successful.

many dynamic leaders in the city of voices is always louder and more ef-

ecutive Officer of the HHCC she will

As the chamber stretches its

Houston but part our responsibility is fective than a single voice. Banning

readily tell you that the success of the

reach to make a greater impact, its

making sure that we are fostering that together for the greater good will al-

chamber is not by her single hand

members are expanding their own

next generation of Houston leaders low all to move towards the ultimate

alone but is due to a dynamic group

portfolios by not just being players on

and I am confident that our Mayor, goal, a better Houston

that composes the HHCC’s member-

a business team but serving as cap-

our elected officials, our board mem-

ship, staff, and board of directors.

tain of their own team in the form of

bers come from this group of our

upcoming HHCC Annual Awards

Since 1977, the HHCC is the

CEO. Latina women are among the

Emerging Young Leaders,” said Dr.

Gala on Saturday, November 2, 2013

largest chamber in the country that

fastest growing group of new entre-

Murillo.

at the Hobby Center-Downtown start-

is of Hispanic membership with the

preneurs. The chamber is supporting

purpose of serving as an advocate

this growth with a program called the

businesses, gives women a voice,

for the business community. Now

Latina Roundtable. “We try to target

molds future leaders, and they fight panic entrepreneurs and executives.

boasting a membership of 4,000,

specifically female entrepreneurs or

for the issues concerning the commu-

Find out more information online at

the chamber has pride in the diver-

women who have been very success-

nity. Number one on the chamber’s

www.houstonhispanicchamber.com..

sity of its membership and board of

ful, Latina or not, “ said Dr. Murillo.

list is comprehensive immigration re-

WWW.STYLEMAGAZINE.COM

Talking out the issues is one

Mark your calendars for the

The chamber advocates for ing at 6pm. The chamber will appreciate and celebrate the city’s top His-

OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2013

PG 9

Political Early Voting In High Gear for Houston City
Elections

By Burt Levine
Political Writer

E

arly voting began with 5,025
voters voting the first day of
early voting Monday, October
21 for the November 5 Houston Mayor,
City Controller and City Council, Houston School Board and College Board
elections. That total this year was nearly
twice the 2,557 people that voted the first
day of early voting in 2011 and higher
than any first day for a city race in the
last 10 years.
The busiest early voting site the first day
of early voting was at the Metropolitan
Multi-Service Station on West Gray in
State Rep. Sarah Davis’ District 134 in
the Montrose area where 540 early voters were counted including Mayor Parker who attracted a crowd to greet her in
the morning when she showed to vote.
Some predictors are Parker
could win her third and final term allowed by law this November 5 with
the more than the 50 percent required
to avoid a December run-off election
against her top challenger former City
Attorney Ben Hall who cancelled his

television advertising weeks ago as she
continues to clobber him with ads attacking him for personal federal and local tax
issues.
The second top early voting
site was the Fiesta Mart across from
Reliant in Rep. Boris Miles’ District on
Kirby Drive where 286 early voters were
counted. The Multi-Service Center on
West Gray and the Fiesta on Kirby are
the top two early voting sites despite being located in Ellen Cohen’s District C
and Larry Green’s City Council District
K where the second term district city
council members are unopposed and not
conducting campaigns to bring out their
city voters.
The Fiesta however is located
across the street from the Astrodome
area and the ballot does feature a countywide initiative to issue $271 in bonds to
re-build the iconic Astrodome facility as
a convention, hotel and exposition center
as opposed to spending tens of millions
of dollars to tear it down.
The third busiest early voting

site was Bayland Park where 263 early
votes were counted. Bayland Park is
located in Rep. Gene Wu’s District at
6400 Bissonnet at Hillcroft. Bayland
Park is also located in City Mike Laster
District J who is also unopposed but it
is the early vote poll that is closest to
the City of Bellaire where Mayor Phil
Nauert is being challenged by freshmen
City Council Member Corbett Parker.
A crowded field is also running for Bellaire City Council.
Bayland Park is also convenient for those voting for Houston
Community College District 5 which
is the seat Richard Schechter abruptly
retired from early this year. Businessmen Robert Glasser and Phil Kunetka
and African American fire fighter union
leader Roy Cormier are in the race to
succeed Schechter to represent Bellaire, West University, Meyerland, Maplewood and other areas in southwest
Houston and areas north to north of
Sharpstown on the HCC Board.
Bayland Park is also conve-

nient for those voting for the Houston
ISD Board Seat being vacated by HISD
long-time leader Larry Marshall. Running to succeed Marshall are term limited Council Member Wanda Adams, former Trustee Clyde Lemon and educator
Coretta Mallet-Fontenot.
Early Voting will continue 7 am
to 7 pm Saturday, October 26, 1 pm to 6
pm Sunday, October 27 and from 7 am to
7 pm through Friday, November 1. For
all information on Harris County voting
the best source is wwwHarrisVotes.Com.

Fashion

Affordable Fashion Tips for
Dressing Your Best

PG 10 OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2013

W

ith each new season comes
the familiar urge to shop and
stock up on the latest fashion
trends. Whether you’re dreaming of the
looks heading down the runway or shopping at your local thrift store for fabulous
finds, it can be hard to get everything
you want without breaking the bank.
So, how do you keep up with
the latest fashion trends on a budget?
The fashion experts at Hanes offer some

WWW.STYLEMAGAZINE.COM

affordable tips and tricks:
Start with the basics - Select a
few staple pieces that coordinate well
together and can be mixed and matched
with other items in your closet.
A little legwear can go a long
way – For an elegant finish to your look,
add stylish legwear from Hanes. Pair
them with chic, high-heeled boots or
pumps to be ultra on-trend this season.
Classics are always on-trend –
Choose an inexpensive trend or two each
season to add a little flair to your existing
look and over time your wardrobe will
build as the seasons change. This year,
everyone is wearing bold, monochromatic colors, like cobalt blue and glamorous
gold.
Always accessorize – The ultimate accessory worth a little splurge
is always the handbag. Filled with your
daily must-haves and part of your everyday routines, handbags are one area of
your wardrobe that may just be the most
splurge-worthy but make sure to invest
in something that is designed to last.

halloween

A

Embellished Decanter and
Glassware

sk people to name their favorite
holiday and many will scream
Halloween. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the best
times of year for crafting, cooking and
scaring up some truly creative treats and
decorations.
Whether you love creating a
little glitz and glamour or something
frightening and fun, the experts at the JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores have come
with ideas and inspirations for making

Scream for Halloween
this Halloween your best one yet.
Frightful Fun: Lead trick-ortreaters to their doom or, at least, your
front door by lining the sidewalks with
glowing rocks. Paint smooth river rocks
with glow-in-the-dark spray paint. Once
dry, use black paint and a brush to write
scary words or draw silly designs on the
rocks.
Decorate Your Heart Out:
Use black glass paint to turn a thrift store
cake stand into a pedestal for your scariest Halloween decorations. Pile plastic
hearts or skulls in the middle and cover
with a clear glass cloche. Decorated cupcakes or a cakepop display would also
work well under glass.
Eat, Drink and be Scary:
Scary food ideas abound, but few drinks
scream Halloween more than an embellished decanter of swampy green brew
or blood red punch. Before pouring the
brew into fun glassware, drop plastic spider rings inside ice cube trays, fill with
bottled water and freeze. Your guests will
love a few frozen creepy crawlies in their
drink.

while still wet, and then allow glass to
dry.
3.
Wrap stem of wine glass in jute.
Start by adding a small amount of glue
at the top of the stem to secure the jute in
place. Tuck the raw end of jute into wrap
as the stem is circled. Wrap to the base of
wine glass. Add a small amount of glue
at the end to secure.
4.
Embellish the base of the wine
glass with self-adhesive rhinestones.
Decanter:
1.
Using a hot glue gun, stabilize
4 pieces of jute to the bottom of the decanter. Design a spider web pattern up
the decanter using jute. Each horizontal
piece of the spider web is individually
cut and glued in place.
2.
Horizontally wrap jute around
the decanter to hide the raw edges of jute
created by the spider web. Use glue at
the start and finish to hold in place.
3.
Embellish decanter with selfadhesive rhinestones.

OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2013

PG 11

breast cancer

Dazzle in Pink for Breast
Cancer Awareness
Kendra Scott Jewelry ‘s “Lolley” Necklace 20% of the profits from this

Wells Fargo $760,00 Grants for Houston’s Homeless
Photography By Vicky Pink
n Wednesday, October 16, 2013, Houston Style Magazine was on hand at Houston
City Hall as Mayor Parker made a major announcement to help Houston’s homeless. Wells Fargo will make donations totaling $760,000 over three years for two
Houston-based nonprofits to help support Mayor Annise Parker’s goal of ending chronic
homelessness. The local grant recipients were identified in close collaboration with the City
of Houston and Mayor Parker to assist the city in the areas of transitional and permanent
supported housing and shelter and support services for the homeless. The Corporation
for Supportive Housing will receive a grant of $450,000 over three years in support of
their efforts for the Houston homeless community, including a goal of developing 2,500 units
of permanent supportive housing, along with more than 2,800 units of general-population
affordable housing over three years; The Coalition for the Homeless Houston/Harris
County will receive a grant of $310,000 over three years to create and implement programs necessary for the successful response to the housing crisis by creating a system that
rapidly returns homeless persons to housing stability.

t’s always in the last place
you looked.
You know how it is: you’ve
lost something. You look beneath, above, in and out, corners and cabinets. You turn the
house upside down but no matter where you look, it’s always
in the last place you’d expect
to find it.
It almost makes you
lose your mind.
But there are worse things to
misplace: love, for instance,
and in the new novel, “Losing to Win” by Michele Grant,
a loss might result in a bigger
gain.

Carissa Melody Wayne was
ambushed.
There was no other
way to consider it: on the last
day of school, while cleaning
her classroom, she was called
to the auditorium. That was
never a good sign but on that
day, it was doubly bad. Carissa
learned that she’d been tapped
to appear on a reality weightloss show, along with several
people from her past - including her ex-fiancé, the man she
never wanted to see again.
Malachi Knight had
been Carissa’s best friend.
They’d been together since
high school, but not long before the ambush, Carissa left
him standing in his Houston
mansion when she realized his
NFL career was more important to him than she was. Her
dreams didn’t matter anymore,
which broke her heart so she
broke it off.

Entertainment
By Susie Stillwell
Entertainment Writer

A

But, of course, big
ratings are the reason for reality shows and nothing would
achieve that faster than putting
two old lovers together. Because there were big bucks at
stake, as well as help for her
struggling Louisiana town,
Carissa agreed to go along
with the hot mess… but she
didn’t have to like it.
When Malachi’s football career tanked due to an injury, he knew he had a lot of reassessing to do. He’d lost his
future, in more ways than one:
no football, no Super Bowl,
and no Carissa. He vowed to
fix all three losses, and this reality show was just the ticket.
He’d lose fifty pounds, get in
shape, reignite his career, and
get back with the woman he’d
always loved.
It was easy for Carissa
to slip back into a relationship
with Mal. It was easy to slip

back into his bed. But if Carissa trusted Mal again, was it
really a win-win situation?
Looking for something fluffylight for your fall reading?
“Losing to Win” may be what
you need: it’s a classic boygets-girl romance that doesn’t
let you know which boy gets
the girl until the end.
That was a nice surprise, actually: author Michele Grant gives her strong
main character lots of choices,
including that of remaining
single. In a romance, that’s
unusual. Here, it’s refreshing
because readers know that
Grant’s Carissa will be fine,
no matter who she chooses (or
doesn’t). Surely, you’ll have
a preference for her, which is
part of the appeal of a book
like this.
Readers who are looking for a marshmallow (with
heat!) will enjoy this book,

c.2013, Kensington Dafina
$14.00 / $15.95 Canada
288 pages

Steve Mcqueen and Chiwetel Ejiofor
Talk 12 Years a Slave

man who was kidnapped into slavery,
and we go through the whole assault
course, the whole maze of slavery with
him. So I was writing with John Ridley,
the screenwriter, and we were working
together on the script, and we came into
some kind of difficulties. I was talking to
my wife and I told her what I was doing,
and she said, “Why don’t you look into
true tales of slavery?” And I thought,
“Of course.” We did some research and
found this book 12 Years A Slave, and it
was amazing.
SS/JC: There’s a very methodical sense of despair and deterioration to
this film. Was there ever a temptation
-- or, say, pressure from the studio -- to
include more beats of hope or emotional
uplift?
STEVE MCQUEEN: I had final cut on the film -- not that that always
means a lot these days -- and I think the
people involved helped me make the sort
of film that I wanted to make. So that
was my decision. It’s, you know, about a
particular time in history -- and I wanted
to tell the truth about that particular time
in history. If we’d altered it I don’t think
that would have been helpful.

SS/JC: Chiwetel, so much of
this performance is internalized; there’s
a stillness and a resolve to Solomon’s
character that resonates on screen. Did
you find that difficult to convey?
Chiwetel Ejiofor: Yeah. I think
a lot of it was in the script and also in the
book. I was able to get a very clear idea
of how he would react to these circumstances and, you know, in some cases
literally what he was thinking. So that
kind of internalization becomes easier
as you become more and more aware
of the character. I think it’s harder if the
character’s somehow distant from you,
and you’re trying to reach for something
internal. But with Solomon, I suppose,
the circumstances that he’s in are so relatable.
SS/JC: Many of the films
scenes are harrowing to watch -- I’m
thinking particularly of the moment
you’re forced to whip Patsey, a fellow
slave at gunpoint. What were those moments like to shoot?
Chiwetel Ejiofor: I traveled in
with Lupita [Nyong’o, who plays Patsey] that day, I think, from the crew base
where we were at to get ready, and it was

PG 14 OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2013

WWW.STYLEMAGAZINE.COM

lready one of 2013’s most critically-acclaimed films -- and
an early Oscar frontrunner,
for those that keep track of such things
-- Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave
depicts the grim true story of Solomon
Northrup, a free, educated black man
who was kidnaped and sold into a life
of slavery on a southern plantation -- a
seemingly hopeless ordeal that he suffered with considerable resolve. The
film opens in limited engagement this
week, and we had the opportunity to
speak with both McQueen and his star,
Chiwetel Ejiofor, who portrays Northrup
in a remarkable performance of dignity
and despair.
SS/JC: Steve, I wanted to begin by asking you how you came across
Solomon’s book, and why you decided
to make this story as your next film. Had
you been interested for a while?
Steve McQueen: …I thought,
“This is a very interesting subject.” It’s
sort of ridiculous to call it “interesting” -- of course, I have roots in slave
history -- but I thought it could be very
interesting to investigate. I was thinking about it as a narrative -- about a free

and romance lovers will eat it
up. If that’s you, then I definitely think “Losing to Win” is
what to look for.

blistering hot -- over 100 degrees, usually
-- and I think we just spoke very calmly
about knowing what we were about to
do in the days shooting. It happened, you
know. It really happened to these people,
and we’re right there in Louisiana, and
you have that sense that you’re dancing
with spirits, dancing with ghosts.
Truth be told. The film is probably the most intense exhilarating tear
jerker, very passionately emotional and
there are moments that will actually take
your breathe away...the actors are all superb and Chiwetel Ejoifor is an amazing
performer.
Juicy Culture takes pride in
bring you the best and most current Black
Movie and TV news and interviews

National
Rich and Nancy Kinder Announce
Donation $50 Million to Houston
Parks Board

R

through a public-private partnership. The Houston Parks Board has
committed to raising a matching
$115 million. To date, $21 million
has been committed with significant gifts by Houston Endowment
Inc., The Wortham Foundation,
Inc., The Fondren Foundation, the
Brown Foundation, multiple federal
agencies and individual donors. For
more information, visit www.houstonparksboard.org.

of September. And, the Authority will
close out 2013 with the launch of the
North (Red) Line extension, expanding the existing Main Street Line by
5.3 miles. The Southeast (Purple) and
East End (Green) lines are expected
to open in 2014. For more information, visit ridemetro.org.

Sofia Vergara Collection Introduced At Rooms To Go

METRO Tops 80 Million Boardings
in Fiscal Year ‘13
Rich and Nancy Kinder

ich and Nancy Kinder,
through their family foundation, have announced
plans to donate $50 million to the
non-profit Houston Parks Board for
the Bayou Greenways 2020 project,
which would make it the largest donation in the history of Houston’s
park system and one of the largest
grants to a public greenspace in the
United States. The Kinder Foundation was inspired by the visionary
project to create new parkland and
trails to connect greenspaces along
Houston’s bayous. The creation of
parkland, trails and natural areas
along major bayous – while enhancing protecting and preserving water quality, natural habitat, and native wildlife – promotes the overall
health and welfare of the city. Once
Bayou Greenways 2020 is complete,
Houston will have the largest offstreet shared use path system in the
nation. The seven-year Bayou Greenways 2020 project will be funded

Boardings registered on METRO fixed-route service
in FY13, (includes local bus, Park & Ride and METRORail) was 80,042,098 - a 4.3 percent increase,
or 3.27 million increase from last fiscal year.

T

he New METRO closed out
fiscal year 2013 (Oct 2012Sept 2013) with more than
80 million boardings recorded for
the first time in four years. Ridership, system-wide, had lagged behind the 80 million mark since
FY2009 when 84,408,919 trips were
recorded. METRO Board Chairman
Gilbert Garcia made the announcement at the Greater Houston Partnership’s annual State of METRO
luncheon while highlighting the Authority’s achievements
and focus on the future.
Among the New METRO board’s priorities
See what’s hot on is building ridership
StyleMagazine.com and improving the customer experience. RidNow exclusive ers are thrilled with the
partners with return of the METRO
Day Pass. Articulated
buses are also back as

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WWW.STYLEMAGAZINE.COM

F

Sofia Vergara

urniture retailer Rooms To Go
and Latin World Entertainment Licensing announced
the much anticipated launch of its
furniture line with Modern Family
star, Sofia Vergara. The Sofia Vergara Collection comprises beautifully
crafted, contemporary designed furniture groupings for living, dining
and bedrooms along with accessories. Exclusively available at Rooms
To Go, the Sofia Vergara Collection will be merchandised and displayed in complete room groupings
designed to provide customers with
inspiration, affordability and ease
of shopping. The new line will be
available in all Rooms To Go stores.
Named as one of the world’s most
powerful Latinas by Forbes Magazine, Sofia Vergara is both a successful businesswoman and the only Hispanic actress to begin her career on a
U.S. Hispanic network and successfully cross over to the general market. For more information about the
privately held company please visit
www.roomstogo.com.

Spain Joins Bumpy European
Recovery

S

pain’s economy is beginning to emerge from years of
gloom even as eurozone data
show how bumpy the region’s recovery is likely to be. Unemployment in
the eurozone’s fourth-biggest economy fell in the third quarter, according
to figures published Thursday. That
followed a report from the Bank of
Spain Wednesday predicting a return
to economic growth in the quarter
after a recession lasting two years.
The government is due to publish
its latest GDP numbers next week.
Improvement in Spain’s jobs market
is crucial to a broader recovery and
Thursday’s figures show the country’s unemployment rate fell to its
lowest level in a year. But with just
under 26% of the workforce -- and
more than half of all young people
-- still without a job, it remains painfully high. Spain was hit hard by the
financial crisis after a housing bubble
burst and many of its banks required
hefty bailouts. Saddled with high
debt and borrowing costs, it began
a program of austerity to control its
budget deficit and structural reforms
aimed at improving productivity.
Exports have recovered as a result,
helping drive the return to growth,
but economists say the country has
some way to go. For more information, visit www.cnn.com
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